I just hope that the bullpen is well rested, as I assume Danks will be on a strict pitch count and of course, come out even earlier if he is ineffective.

SMO

Ventura said in the postgame comments the other night that he expects a perfect game from Danks, and since he tracks things more closely than you do, and since Cooper sits on the bench by him and has more input about it than you too, you have no ground to stand on (other than the general history of all pitchers ever coming back from injury and surgery) to suggest that he might be watched closely and might struggle.

Does that need to be in teal or something, or do you think people will get it?

Obviously. My opinion, of course, is shared by arguably the best pitching coach in Major League baseball and the best training staff in Major League baseball. Yours is shared by randos on the internet.

I'm going to just mark that down 2-0 me.

So you've discussed this with Cooper? Or are you just making an assumption, to support your opinion which you then declare as fact. And I'm marking it 2-0 me. But I guess that's my point.

So you've discussed this with Cooper? Or are you just making an assumption, to support your opinion which you then declare as fact. And I'm marking it 2-0 me. But I guess that's my point.

I don't have any specific opinion on whether or not John Danks should start tonight. I'm not a god damn pitching coach, athletic trainer, or arthroscopic surgeon. I have no expertise to offer in any of this discussion. All I can tell you is that for years now, the Sox have had probably the best pitcher's coaching staff and trainers in baseball, so whatever decision they come to is, in my mind, the correct one. If they would have started John as the longman in the bullpen, I would have agreed with that move, too, it makes perfect sense to me. But they didn't. They want him to start. That's fine; they have an outstanding track record and have earned my trust.

Danks has been missing for a while which often inflates a player's value. But let's not forget this is a career sub .500 pitcher w an ERA over 4. He certainly adds depth to the staff, but in the end he is a left-handed Gavin Floyd. Little better ERA but still a .500 pitcher.

Danks has been missing for a while which often inflates a player's value. But let's not forget this is a career sub .500 pitcher w an ERA over 4. He certainly adds depth to the staff, but in the end he is a left-handed Gavin Floyd. Little better ERA but still a .500 pitcher.

Yeah, and his favorite movie is Battlefield Earth and once, in grade school, he took a cookie from the cookie jar even though he was told he wasn't supposed to!

It figures that the Sox, thanks to Mr. Danks, got burned twice by a guy named Navarro. Brings back bad memories from about 15 years ago when a pitcher by the same name signed for a big contract and became one of the more disliked Sox players in the history of the franchise.

Ugh! He just hit his third dinger of the day to put this one out of reach ...

Coop has an exceptional track record, but for the second year in a row, the question begs if he's got too much power with the current big league staff.

It's almost like he's the manager of the pitchers, and Robin is the manager of the rest of the team.

He's certainly an asset to the organization, but sometimes other voices should be heard. Longterm injuries to Danks and Floyd are turning into substantial black marks on his record, and the club took a risk signing both to such large contracts. I just hope he can keep Sale together the next few seasons.

He's certainly an asset to the organization, but sometimes other voices should be heard. Longterm injuries to Danks and Floyd are turning into substantial black marks on his record, and the club took a risk signing both to such large contracts. I just hope he can keep Sale together the next few seasons.

This statement is absolutely ridiculous. The Sox have, by a wide margin, the very best record of player health in the Majors.

This statement is absolutely ridiculous. The Sox have, by a wide margin, the very best record of player health in the Majors.

I think this has been largely the function of Cooper and Herm being the best at their jobs. But I also think the Sox generally have had good luck, but that luck may have turned somewhat, considering the somewhat freakish injuries to Peavy, Danks, and now Floyd, during the past few years. Nevertheless, I don't hold those injuries against Cooper and Herm.

__________________The universe is the practical joke of the General at the expense of the Particular, quoth Frater Perdurabo, and laughed. The disciples nearest him wept, seeing the Universal Sorrow. Others laughed, seeing the Universal Joke. Others wept. Others laughed. Others wept because they couldn't see the Joke, and others laughed lest they should be thought not to see the Joke. But though FRATER laughed openly, he wept secretly; and really he neither laughed nor wept. Nor did he mean what he said.

I agree with your points. Luck can be a bitch and it seems to be evening out. The problem with the Sox is that when injuries do happen, it destroys seasons (i.e. 2001, 2004, 2010) because they have nothing in the minors to step in and perform and often are leveraged to the hilt financially so it's hard to get the top of the line impact player teams out of contention might be willing to deal.

I agree with your points. Luck can be a bitch and it seems to be evening out. The problem with the Sox is that when injuries do happen, it destroys seasons (i.e. 2001, 2004, 2010) because they have nothing in the minors to step in and perform and often are leveraged to the hilt financially so it's hard to get the top of the line impact player teams out of contention might be willing to deal.

I think this has been largely the function of Cooper and Herm being the best at their jobs. But I also think the Sox generally have had good luck, but that luck may have turned somewhat, considering the somewhat freakish injuries to Peavy, Danks, and now Floyd, during the past few years. Nevertheless, I don't hold those injuries against Cooper and Herm.

Luck is absolutely involved, but there aren't any teams that are even close to us in terms of keeping players, especially pitchers, healthy.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoota

I'm not counting this homerun or his 3 RBI from today's game because of the game situation. I'm not counting his pinch hit solo homerun in a blowout win in Colorado. In my book, Crede has 2 less home runs than his statistics show, 4 less RBI, and one less walk (the one where he pinch hit for Uribe after coming in with a 3-0 count and taking one pitch).